UNIJOS To Raise N1.5bn For New Library

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Prof. Hayward Mafuyai, said on Tuesday that the institution needs ₦1.5 billion to build a modern library at its permanent site.

Mafuyai, who spoke when he inaugurated the remodeled Bauchi Road campus library, said the modern library would be ranked as one of the best in the world when completed.

The library was remodeled after it was gutted by fire in 2013.

He said that he had since inaugurated a committee to go round first generation universities and outside the country toward arriving at a model library for the university.

“We charged them not to limit themselves to what they can see, but also to be futuristic so that the library will stand the test of time,” he said.

He said that the committee’s report indicated that the institution would require more than one billion naira for the project while more money would be required in view of fresh developments.

The vice chancellor said that the new library would have both e-library and printed books component to enhance teaching and learning.

“We hope to create an open space where students can discuss, have some liberty and enjoy some other interactions while they are reading,” he explained.

Mafuyai said that the school had increased its budget to get more current books while the old ones were removed to where people could access them on request.

In his remarks, Dr Stephen Akintunde, described the library as the heart of the university.
“If the library is healthy, there will be more productivity in the system,” he said. (NAN)